1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a dispensing apparatus for bagged fluids.
2. Description of Related Art
Liquid storage vessels such as jugs or pitchers are essentially ubiquitous in society and have been around in a general form for centuries. A liquid storage vessel generally serves two purposes. It serves to contain a liquid so that the liquid does not spill, evaporate, or be soaked up by other objects from which it cannot easily be removed, and it serves as a way to dispense the liquid to users to drink, wash with, or otherwise utilize.
As technology has improved, the jug has become lighter, easier to use and store, and easier to handle and dispense from. At the same time, the general concept remains relatively unchanged. Most traditional vessels are shaped so the liquid is contained by gravity in a portion of the device. When the device is tilted or upended, the liquid is placed into contact with a hole which allows it to be dispensed to the user. While this is a universally used design, it is not always the best choice from a storage point of view.
In the modern household, liquids to be consumed are most often stored in a refrigerator. This allows for the liquids to be cold which often provides improved taste characteristics as well as making the beverage more refreshing to consume and helping to preserve some beverages for a longer time. The design of most storage vessels is often wasteful when placed in a refrigerator and also does not always provide for as sanitary storage as would be desired.
To make such a vessel easy to pour from (upend), most vessels used currently are relatively narrow and tall. In order to store such vessels of liquid in the refrigerator so as to allow them to be dispensed cool, a user will generally have to have a large upright space available in the refrigerator. This storage space is often limited to a single shelf of the refrigerator (often the top shelf) which can make storing the jugs and using the jugs difficult. Further, to be able to pour from these vessels, they often have handles which stick outwards from them and increase the effective footprint of the vessel, therefore requiring more shelf space than is desirable.
To try and deal with this problem, many individuals now use various liquid dispensers in their refrigerator. These are devices designed to sit on a refrigerator shelf generally having a dispensing valve on the lower surface therefore, which hangs over a shelf in the refrigerator and allows for dispensing of fluid from the bottom of the device. These liquid dispensers have the advantage of allowing “squarer” storage of fluid in the refrigerator and in the net taking up less space and being able to more easily store. In particular, liquid dispensers are often shaped so as to have a larger footprint, but a significantly decreased height allowing them to sit on shelves more easily. Further, because liquid dispensers can be more rectangular and often do not need a pouring handle, they can more efficiently fill space.
Liquid dispensers, however, have the problem of being damaged by fluids within them. The liquid dispensers generally are hollow vessels which enclose the fluid and prevent it from escaping. They also will usually include an attached spigot or other dispensing device to allow the fluid to be dispensed in a controlled manner to a user. Fluid is generally added from above by removing the top panel of, or opening an access point in, the vessel and placing the fluid directly against the interior walls of the vessel and inside the hollow interior. A top or a cap may then be used to prevent introduction of outside substances into the fluid.
In this arrangement, the inside surfaces of the dispenser can become contaminated with particles of the fluid or items suspended in the fluid. An excellent example is when a powdered soft drink mix is dispensed from the vessel. Powdered soft drink mixes come in a variety of forms and under a variety of trade names but generally are designed to add concentrated flavoring and/or coloring to water to improve taste or appearance. Many also include concentrated vitamins, minerals or other enhancers to improve the nutrition from drinking the soft drink mix over drinking regular water. Many also include granulated sugar. These soft drink mixes are added to water where they dissolve or are suspended in the water.
Many vessels used to store liquids are constructed of plastics to decrease weight, decrease production cost, and make the vessels more rugged and survivable. When a soft drink mix (in solution) is placed against these materials, the vessel's surfaces can absorb or be coated by some of the powdered solution suspended in the water which adheres to the surface as opposed to remaining suspended in solution. Further, taste and odors from the soft drink mix can permeate the vessel. This “contamination” can cause problems to the vessel. For one, contamination can change the taste of other fluids dispensed from the vessel in an unpleasant fashion. For instance, a grape flavoring contaminating a vessel can be partially transferred to later added ice tea flavoring, creating an unpleasant combination. This can be particularly true with beverages having a particularly strong taste such as coffee. Sometimes, a strongly flavored beverage can so impregnate the walls that its scent or taste cannot be removed even with a thorough cleaning. This can prevent a vessel from being reused with other flavors of fluid, and can even require the vessel's destruction if it cannot be used anymore due to the flavor impregnation. Contamination can also lead to the introduction or growth of microorganisms which can make the vessel unsanitary for future use regardless of the impact on flavor. Still further, cleaning agents used to clean the vessel also can impart tastes and odors that can flavor a later dispensed liquid.
Additionally, because the fluid is placed directly within the hollow interior of the vessel, various impurities can also be introduced to the fluid. For instance, if a lid is not provided to the vessel, dust, other particulates, or microorganisms may be introduced into the fluid over time. Further, if the vessel remains empty and is then filled, dust or other particulates may have been introduced to the empty vessel which are then suspended in the fluid when it is added and may be dispensed.
Further, because the vessel must be “watertight” in order to prevent leakage of the fluid being dispensed, market distribution and storage of empty dispensers, or dispensers sold with fluid therein, will often take up significant space inefficiently, as such dispensers often cannot collapse and are not sized and shaped to pack efficiently for travel. Therefore, a user may often have wasted space taken up by the dispenser when it is not in use because the dispenser cannot be broken down or collapsed. Further, because it is generally a fairly costly device, users are reluctant to discard an unused dispenser unless they are certain they have no further need for it.